Tarptent Sublite

The day that Tarptent released the Sublite Tyvek tent, I ordered one. Since then it has been my go-to tent for three-season use. It's lightweight, breathes very well, and l have only had very slight condensation a few times. t has one of the fastest erection times of Henry's tents.

On Backpackinglight.com I had followed several beta testers of this tent, and ordered one the first day they went on sale. After about a month, Tarptent's owner, Henry Shires, asked for comments from all the buyers. The tent's original design had no screen door, and it appears that quite a few buyers wanted one. Henry told us to send him the tent, and he would install a screen door for $20, adding 2 ounces to the 18 ounce original. Since 2008 I have used this tent exclusively, until I added a more storm proof Tarptent, for shoulder season conditions.

Setup is very easy with 5 stakes. I added a peak guy line for windy conditions, and it works very well.

If the ground is reasonably smooth, it is quite easy to get a very taut pitch.

The weather resistance is much better than you might expect for a single wall, Tyvek tent. It's been through many moderate thunder/hail storms, and has only had very minor leakage a few times.  I've since seriously seam sealed the peak connection, and have had no leakage since.

The Tyvek used in this tent is of a clothing grade, and breathes better than any other breathable fabric tent I've had.

For a one-man tent the Sublite is commodious, with 23 square feet of floor area, 5 square feet more than many one-man tents. There's enough room for all my gear, inside the tent.

The tent doesn't pack as tight as Silnylon, but is of a shape that folds very neatly, and packs easily.

All features of the tent work faultlessly. The attachment sleeve for adjustable trekking poles is a bit fiddly, but I use a pair of fixed length, 58" LuxuryLite, Trailsticks, fastened with a bit of line and a toggle which works very well.

The use of Tyvek for this tent produces a lightweight, breathable tent, with a very generous floor area. 

Background

For the past 17 years I have used this tent in all kinds of weather, from sea level to 11,000 feet. The Tarptent Sublite has limitations for heavy, continuous rain, and should not be used in snow conditions, but has served me very well.

In June of 2012, at Miller Flat, on the Lost Coast, a raccoon sliced the tent open, right next to my head, and I repaired the 18" cut with Duct Tape. Upon returning home I immediately ordered a new tent from Henry, and am still using it.